A new online University of Alberta course is aiming to teach students, and the public at large, a higher understanding of the world of gaming.

Understanding Video Games or UVG is the second massive online open course (MOOC) and follows in the same delivery model of the university’s first MOOC, Dino 101, which taught thousands of people across the world about dinosaurs and paleobiology in 2013.

The 11-lesson course, which will be available to the public for free and as a three-credit course for U of A students, will cover all things video games.

“What we try and give students a handle on is how to actually go about making sense of this incredible technology that we face every day. People play games in school, as part of their education, they play them on the bus or at home either alone or with their friends — it’s an incredibly expressive and important medium,” said Sean Gouglas, University of Alberta associate professor in Humanities Computing and lead UVG instructor.

The course will touch on the technical intricacies of video games including mechanics and interpretive theory. But what can a game teach us about societal issues at large, including issues of violence, sex and race?

“I think there are a lot of common perceptions about video games that they are inherently violent ... and that violence may not serve a purpose or is gratuitous. We talk about that, but we talk about whether or not violence in video games can serve a purpose and what’s the message that’s being associated here.” said Gouglas. “Pick a popular game like World of Warcraft, the whole premise of the game is set up as a racial conflict. We think it’s cute when we’re talking about pandas and tigers but is there a larger metaphor here that is being said in these games?”

On average, there are more male characters in video games than female characters, explains Gouglas, but it’s an aspect that’s seeing a shift in newer games where gamers can play as either a male or a female and it won’t change the game that much.

“It’s a very interesting statement about female and male power in video games,” said Gouglas.

Many of the lessons associated with the program include videos with local video game company, BioWare, employees whose jobs specifically relate to the topic students are learning.

“So the students who are taking the course can get a real, hands-on feel of what it’s like in the trenches of a video game company when they’re trying to address these issues themselves,” said Gouglas.

People can sign up for UVG via Coursera, at www.coursera.org. The course requires three to five hours of lessons per week and those who complete the course will receive a certification of accomplishment.

University of Alberta course aims to teach understanding of video games

A new online University of Alberta course is aiming to teach students, and the public at large, a higher understanding of the world of gaming.

Understanding Video Games or UVG is the second massive online open course (MOOC) and follows in the same delivery model of the university’s first MOOC, Dino 101, which taught thousands of people across the world about dinosaurs and paleobiology in 2013.

The 11-lesson course, which will be available to the public for free and as a three-credit course for U of A students, will cover all things video games.